


First Bloom

by Shriek



Series: Blossoming 'verse [1]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alcohol, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Caleb Widogast Has Issues, First Time, M/M, Scars, Self-Esteem Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2020-02-28 23:24:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18766444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shriek/pseuds/Shriek
Summary: Molly approaches Caleb one night with a question and gets exactly what he wasreallyasking for.





	First Bloom

Caleb is just about to turn the handle to his and Nott’s room when a voice behind him says, “So, what is it?”

A little bit tipsy and not in the mood for bullshit, Caleb reluctantly looks over his shoulder to see Mollymauk leaning casually against the wall on the other side of the hallway.

“I am… not sure what you mean.” Molly rarely makes sense to him, and this moment is no exception. Molly pushes off the wall and takes a step towards him.

“Is it the tattoos? Or have you never seen a tiefling naked before? No, if that were the reason you’d have been staring at Jester too. Though she does seem a bit young, so good on you in that respect. But age is a tricky thing; I’m only two years old, after all. Anyway. What is it? What about me caught your attention, Caleb?”

Caleb wants very much to sink into the floor and disappear. He’d tried not to stare when they were at the bathhouse, when Molly was without a stitch of clothing and without a care about it. And when that failed, he’d tried to look surreptitiously, but clearly he hadn’t succeeded. Why Molly waited so long to bring it up is a mystery for another day. Today, Caleb’s paltry luck has run out.

He thinks about denying it, or possibly just going into his room and ignoring Molly completely, but he knows neither of those things are an option. As long as he and Nott intend to stay with this group, he has to at least not make things unbearably awkward, and suddenly being unable to be in the same room as Molly would do just that. Besides, while Molly’s tone might be flirtatious, there’s an edge to his smile that says this question has a right and wrong answer. So Caleb settles for a semblance of the truth.

“Your tattoos are very interesting, that is all.”

Molly steps in further, putting his hands on Caleb’s waist.

“You’re welcome to take a closer look, if you’d like.”

Caleb presses his back against the wall, unable to breathe. Sensing his discomfort, Molly puts his hands up and steps back.

“I’m sorry if I read you wrong. I don’t want to to do anything that will make you uncomfortable.”

Molly is far enough away that Caleb’s not panicking anymore, but he’s still very close. Close enough that Caleb can smell something pleasant and faintly floral on his skin that he's never noticed before. Does Molly always smell this nice? And his eyes, which were unsettling and hard to read at first, are searching Caleb's face in concern, a beautiful deep red. And the peacock tail, trailing up the side of his neck...

Molly is standing so close that Caleb doesn’t even have to extend his arms fully to pull him in and kiss him.

It takes just long enough that Molly starts kissing him back before Caleb’s senses return to him. He shoves Molly away, hard enough to make him stumble.

“You’re giving me whiplash here, Caleb.”

Caleb opens his mouth, but he has no words to explain his erratic behavior. His eyes dart from side to side, half terrified that someone will come down the hall and witness this catastrophe, half hoping they will, to save him from it.

“Come with me. If you’re going to get upset about something, I find it’s usually best to do it in relative privacy.”

Molly turns towards his and Fjord’s room without waiting for an answer. Caleb reluctantly follows, for want of a better option. It’s a terrible idea, he knows, but he has to find some way to explain himself to Molly and he’s not going to manage that while panicking in the hallway.

Once they’re in the room, Molly locks the door and gestures to one of the beds. “Why don’t you sit.”

Caleb does, and Molly sits beside him, once again far enough away that it doesn’t make Caleb nervous, but close enough to set off his itch to touch. Caleb wonders if he’s doing it on purpose.

They sit in silence for a while, Molly leaning back on his hands and Caleb ramrod straight. Molly shows no indication that he expects anything from Caleb, but the ale has muddled Caleb’s rational decision making skills enough that something happens anyway.

“I think I would like to kiss you again.” The words fall from his mouth unplanned, but somehow not surprising. It feels strangely inevitable, to want something so far from what he usually reaches for. The bare necessities he usually allows himself to have.

“Feel free. But no pushing this time, please. I’d rather not end up on the floor. If you feel the need to pull away, I won’t chase you.”

What it must be like, Caleb thinks, to be someone worth chasing. He leans in slowly and Molly turns to face him, but doesn’t close the distance. Whether he’s trying to move at Caleb’s pace or is just making him work for it, Caleb isn’t sure. But finally they do make contact, and it’s more wonderful than a kiss has any right to be. Then again, it's only the second kiss Caleb's had in over a decade, so that must be why.

Molly swipes his tongue over Caleb’s bottom lip and Caleb inhales sharply, clutching Molly’s shirt. Then he freezes, realizing what he’s done.

“It’s alright, you’re allowed to touch.”

He really shouldn’t, but given permission, his hands slide down Molly’s sides to rest lightly on his hips. Molly picks back up where they left off, giving Caleb easy, languid kisses. Some sort of long-forgotten automatic process starts up in Caleb’s head and he uses one hand to turn Molly’s face to the side, pressing light kisses down his neck. The ridges of scar tissue beneath his lips bring Caleb abruptly back into his rational mind and he jerks away, searching Molly’s face for the sign that he’s gone too far.

“If you’re stopping because you need to that’s fine, but if you’d like to continue... I’m willing to see where this goes.”

Where this goes. Caleb has no response to that. This could go any number of places, and not one of them is a good idea. Yet he wants every single one that means he is still allowed to touch. But there are too many possibilities --he doesn’t know where to go from here, having been given the offer of something he would never dream to ask for. He can’t bring himself to close the distance again, knowing that it could spiral off in a million different ways.

“Okay, how about this,” Molly says, seeming to pick up on his paralysis. “ Do you want to keep kissing?”

Caleb nods.

“Wonderful.” Molly leans in and gives Caleb a brief, gentle kiss. “In the hopes that we can get this out of the way now, there is very little that I’m not willing to at least try. And if you do stumble upon one of those things, I’ll tell you. So please. Touch me. I _want_ you to touch me.”

Molly resumes his kissing and once again Caleb’s hands move without his permission, sliding up under Molly’s shirt and exploring the warm skin beneath his fingers. He skirts lightly over innumerable scars, knowing from experience that scar tissue can still be sensitive years after the fact. Caleb files it away to later ask if there are any areas he should avoid touching, then strikes the thought. He shouldn’t assume this will ever happen again. 

When his hands make it up to the top of Molly’s ribcage, Molly breaks their kiss long enough to shed his coat and take off his shirt. Caleb is a little thrown by the sudden reveal of so much skin, but his instincts choose that moment to take over him completely, so he finds himself surging forward and sucking at the base of Molly’s neck. Molly makes a noise that only encourages his bold, reckless wanting. He wraps his arms around Molly’s waist, pulling Molly practically into his lap. His mouth follows the noises he receives, searching for the most desire, the most proof that he is wanted.

Molly nudges Caleb’s coat off his shoulders and removes his scarf, slowly stripping all of his upper layers as Caleb occupies his hands exploring Molly’s torso. Molly’s nipples are sensitive, he discovers, as he gently tugs on one while sucking a bruise into the corner of his jaw. It’s not until he feels Molly’s hands slide up under his shirt to touch bare skin that he realizes how far they’ve gone.

“Wait,” he gasps. Molly freezes, and his hands recede. “You should not… I-- I am not--”

“Caleb, for the love of all that is holy, let’s do that part _later_. Or ideally, not at all. But for now... Do you _want_ me to keep undressing you?”

“Yes.” He can’t bring any other answer forth, not truthfully. Not with his desire building up over him like a wave. His whole body craving Molly’s touch.

“Okay. Then I’m going to keep doing that, and if you change your mind, you can say so and I’ll stop.”

Molly tugs Caleb’s shirt over his head and settles his hands on Caleb’s hips. Caleb yanks him forward into a kiss, unable to stomach the idea of Molly scrutinizing his body, like he could read Caleb’s sins through the marks on his skin. But that simple act of insecurity must read like encouragement to Molly, because he climbs fully into Caleb's lap and starts rolling his hips. Caleb tries to find words beyond the pleasure as Molly’s ass grinds down on him.

“Molly. Mollymauk. I-- I have never… Fuck, Molly, stop.” Molly stops.

“You’ve never. As in… ever? Or just--”

“Never with another man. But I want to. With you. If--”

“Yes, right, of course. That’s not a problem. I can work with that. I can-- Do you prefer-- No, nevermind, let’s just--”

Molly grabs one of Caleb’s hands and places it firmly on his own ass, then resumes kissing and rubbing his body against Caleb’s. Caleb squeezes and kneads, feeling Molly’s tail brush against his hand. Molly groans, burying his face in Caleb’s neck.

“Would you be willing to take the rest of your clothes off?” Caleb asks, scarcely able to believe he’s gotten this far.

“Only if you take yours off too.” That’s fair. It’s a little bit terrifying, but fair. “Take mine off, then yours,” Molly says. Caleb does as he asks without questioning, if only because it gives him just a bit more time to not be completely naked in front of someone he is supposed to be able to face in the morning.

When they’re both fully unclothed and Molly is once again seated in his lap, Caleb moves his hand back down and resumes massaging Molly’s ass, teasing a single finger between his cheeks in a way that he assumes feels good based on Molly’s reaction.

“Caleb. That feels fucking amazing, but I would really be very happy if you went further. Would you be willing to go further?” 

“Yes.”

“Fantastic. Then get the oil from my bag.” He climbs off of Caleb’s lap so Caleb can rummage through his bag for a bottle of oil. When he turns back around, Molly is splayed on the bed, breathtakingly beautiful. “Do you know the general idea of what you need to be doing? On a scale of one to ten, how much instruction do you need? I can--”

Caleb slips one oil-slick finger between Molly’s legs to his ass, rubbing in small circles around the entrance, relishing in the way he managed to stop Molly mid sentence.

“I have read things. I believe I have the general idea.” He slides his finger slowly inside. “If I am incorrect, please tell me.”

Molly fists his hands in the sheets as Caleb slowly thrusts his finger. It’s unlike anything he’s ever felt, the fully-engulfing sensation around just a small part of him. It awakens something in him he thought he’d killed off. The desire, or worse, the _need_ for closeness. The animalistic want to take all that is willingly given. He presses his finger upwards, on some half-remembered idea from a book, and Molly _keens_.

“Yes, that’s it, you clearly know what you’re doing, you’ve got more than the general idea, so I think it would be the perfect time to move this show along, if you don’t mind?”

It takes Caleb a second to figure out what Molly is asking for, but once he does he wastes no time slicking up another finger and pressing it in. Molly whines and starts shifting his hips, trying to get more. It’s a heady feeling, knowing that he made Molly look so thoroughly undone with just two fingers. Which reminds him that he has another hand and the entire lower half of Molly’s body still unexplored.

Caleb slides his free hand up Molly’s thigh, then gives in to the temptation to follow it with his mouth, nipping lightly at the soft skin. The result, which somehow manages to catch him by surprise, is that both his hand and his face are now very close to Molly’s cock. Caleb thinks about moving away, but instead he leans in and licks up the underside. It just tastes like skin, like the rest of Molly, and the arched back reaction it gets him makes Caleb’s nervousness dissipate. He keeps going, opening Molly up with one hand while the other assists him in exploring Molly’s cock.

“Caleb. I want you inside me now. I mean, your dick. I want your dick inside me now.”

“Right, ja, good idea.” Caleb had almost forgotten that that’s where this was headed. He pulls his fingers out, somewhat reluctantly, and reaches for the oil.

“Here, it’ll be easier if I--” Molly rolls over and gets on his hands and knees, his ass on full display.

Caleb’s train of thought is temporarily derailed by the sight of it, all of Molly open and vulnerable before him. He runs his hands down Molly’s back, his sides, leaving smears of oil in his wake.

“Meine götter, Mollymauk, you are so beautiful.”

“Thank you. I’m sure I could say the same for you, if you let me get a good look at you.”

It’s meant to be a playful comment, a light teasing, but it strikes a sour note that hangs in the air, reminding Caleb why this was such a bad idea in the first place.

“Nevermind, forget I said anything. Just--” Molly reaches back and grabs Caleb’s hip, pulling him forward to press against Molly’s ass. “Just, please fuck me. We’ve gotten this far, don’t let my stupid mouth ruin it now.”

He grinds his ass against Caleb’s cock and the sparks of pleasure are enough to clear away rational thought once again. Caleb rubs himself between Molly’s cheeks as he hunts blindly for the bottle of oil. Then he slicks himself up, and slowly pushes in.

The sensation is almost overwhelming, and for the first time that night, Caleb can’t hold in a groan of pleasure. Molly is pushing back onto him, clearly not interested in taking this slow. So Caleb gives him what he wants, what they both want, and starts thrusting into him hard and fast. Molly moans wantonly and Caleb worries briefly that they’ll be overheard, but he can’t bring himself to tell Molly to be quiet. He _likes_ the noise, honestly. Likes knowing that he’s making Molly feel good.

Caleb grips Molly’s hips and pulls him back harder, trying to get more depth, more contact, but it’s not enough. Without thinking, he wraps an arm around Molly’s chest and pulls him upright, down onto Caleb’s lap. Molly makes a shocked noise as Caleb snaps his hips up into Molly’s ass and bites down on the base of his neck. They’re pressed together, Molly’s back against Caleb’s chest, and it’s so much, Caleb is so deep inside him, he can feel it all over when Molly starts to shake.

He keeps one arm wrapped around Molly’s chest, holding Molly tight against him, and uses the other to take Molly’s cock in hand. He’s stroking, thrusting, biting skin, just acting on whatever animal instinct surges up inside him. It’s not long before Molly is clenching around him, crying out as his cock jerks in Caleb’s hand. And that’s the trigger that sends Caleb over the edge, Molly’s heat all around him as he comes apart like an explosion.

They collapse backwards in a slightly painful tangle of limbs, both panting hard. Molly carefully lifts himself off of Caleb and flops back down on his stomach, still half on top of Caleb in the narrow bed. Caleb is so dazed by his orgasm, by the whole experience, that it takes him a moment to realize that Molly is gently stroking his cheek.

“Please stop that.” He takes Molly’s hand away from his face and sets it on his chest instead, doesn't hold on. He’ll have to get up soon, get dressed and leave Molly to sleep, but it can wait, he tells himself. Just long enough to catch his breath.

Molly starts running his thumb along Caleb’s collarbone instead and it’s too nice, too gentle. Caleb feels like his whole body is tightening up, preparing to run.

Molly’s hand stills, like he can feel the tension. “That was some of the best sex I’ve had in quite a while, you know.”

Caleb thinks of the Pillow Trove and bites down the urge to snap at Molly for giving false compliments. “Ah, thank you, I suppose. I enjoyed it as well.” It’s absolutely not the sort of thing you’re supposed to say after having just thoroughly fucked someone, but at least it’s true.

“Is it safe to assume you’d rather keep this between us?”

“Ja, please. I do not want the others… I do not want the others doing what they would probably do.” Teasing, asking questions, expecting this to _be_ something. They’ll expect things of Caleb that he isn’t capable of anymore. Maybe Molly would too. Maybe Molly still will. Caleb loses his fight with the urge to flee.

“I should let you get some sleep, it is late.” He removes Molly’s hand from his chest and starts pulling out from underneath him.

“You don’t have to go, if you don’t want to.”

“Ah, well...”

“Right.”

Caleb gets dressed as quickly as he can, trying not to glance back at Molly still lying naked on the bed. Their little tryst is over, Molly isn’t his to look at anymore. Right as he gets to the door, Caleb hears Molly roll over.

“Goodnight, Caleb.”

“Goodnight, Mollymauk.”

**Author's Note:**

> I guess the terrible wordplay titles are just... a thing now. Sorry not sorry. But I AM sorry this took so long. Experience has taught me not to make promises about when the next installment will be out, but there IS a sequel coming! Your comments have fueled this fire, please keep them coming! I love you all!


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